Save You the Darkness
by MidnightandDiamonds
Summary: 'The childbots were gone - KT with them – and Mary was more than likely still alive within the mainframe of the company that Katherine had poured her life into. She was angry to say the least and – not that she'd admit it anytime soon – she was scared.' Nick worries about Katherine. Starts during the scene in the office at Calimov near the end of 3x05 (Nick/Katherine).


_Well, this is the first fanfiction I've ever actually finished over 1000 words..._

 _I'm just in love with the storyline they've given Katherine this series (so far at least) and I was inspired to delve into her story about what happened in the explosion and after, especially with the revelation that she's using nanobots to keep herself alive and healthy but that they aren't sustainable like Will's seem to be. And of course I had to make it Nick/Katherine, because I've always loved their dynamic (again, series three has been particularly on point for character/relationship development so far) and they really need to get their acts together and realise they should be together. Just sayin'._

 _This may seem a bit ooc at times, but this is just how I honestly believe they would react in this situation - with maybe just a few embellishments because I am weak for Nick/Katherine. Also, I use phrases such as 'they always had been' quite a lot, but that's just because I headcanon that Nick and Katherine have known each other since University for many reasons which I won't go into here (Feel free to message me if you want details)._

 _Title from the song Stay by Annabel Jones x Nebbra, simply because I listened to it a lot whilst writing this._

 _One final note (sorry this is so long), enjoy!_

* * *

The childbots were gone - KT with them – and Mary was more than likely still alive within the mainframe of the company that Katherine had poured her life into. She was angry to say the least and – not that she'd admit it anytime soon – she was scared. God, she was so scared. At the mention of Mary's name Katherine found herself almost unable to breath, a wave of fear coursing through her so suddenly that she was worried one of the others would notice.

They didn't, of course.

 _Why would they?_ A part of her brain whispered to her. The woman who had almost killed her was still infiltrating every aspect of her life, miraculously from beyond the grave like some form of mental torture, why ever would Katherine be scared about that?

Katherine distanced herself from the computer and the rest of the group, picking her nails nervously as Nick tried to placate everyone. She had no idea how he could stand there and say that whatever resided inside the Calimov system was harmless, not after everything that had happened – _it all made sense now_ – but she appreciated his attempt to reassure everyone. Nick had always been good at that (Another thing she would preferably keep to herself for the foreseeable future).

Eve's determination to find the truth of the situation meant that Katherine found everything suddenly moving around her; Eve rushed out stating that in order to regain her lost memory they had to get home as quickly as possible – Lily and Will following almost immediately, the latter briefly stopping at the door to ensure his father would follow.

"Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can. I just have a few things I need to sort out here." Nick answered, his gaze flickering briefly towards Katherine who realised she was still backed towards the corner of the room, making herself look foolish by grasping her own hands tightly and staring at the computer monitor as if it had threatened her itself. Will looked briefly confused before he must have remembered everything that had happened in that same office only months ago – what this revelation must have done to Katherine – because a second later he seemed to understand, answering with a simple 'Okay' before he rushed after his friends.

Nick turned to Katherine as she attempted to replace her usual calm and collected façade, but she found it difficult to conceal the feeling of dread that had settled within her. She knew it wouldn't work, Nick always saw through her even at the best of times. So instead, Katherine looked Nick straight in the eye and began to ramble – words flowing from her faster than she'd imagined.

"We need to get the system isolated, if this is what we think it is then we can't allow her access to the entire global Calimov mainframe-"

"Katherine-" Nick tried to interject, slowly stepping closer to her, but Katherine couldn't allow herself to stop. She couldn't hold his gaze any longer though, her eyes locking onto the desk instead.

"-but if she's already been able to go as far as she has then there's no telling what she could do whether we try to stop her or not-"

"Katherine."

"-and the board would have a field day if they found out about this, we can't let them know otherwise we risk complete closure of this facility and I've worked too hard to let that-"

"Katherine!" Nick's raised voice had her head snapping back to where he had moved even closer, his hands reaching out and clasping her arms tightly enough to bring her out of her impromptu rant.

"-happen…" she trailed off quietly. Nick's outburst effectively put a stop to her thought process, neither seemed to know what to say for a few seconds. Katherine could practically feel the expression on her face as the attempt to keep her mask intact completely failed - she must have looked so weak to him now - but there was a carefully guarded warmth to Nick's eyes that she hadn't seen directed towards her in a long time.

Nick carefully took a breath before he started to speak.

"Are you… okay?" He asked quietly, his eyes never leaving hers but his hands relaxing on her arms so that it was more comforting than restraining.

So naturally, Katherine's next move was to go on the defensive.

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?" She snapped, stepping back decisively out of his grasp. She could hear him audibly sigh and visibly clamp down on the urge to roll his eyes, he was as predictable as she was in this situation it seemed.

"Do I really have to spell it out for you, Katherine? We find out that Mary may well have uploaded her consciousness into our computer systems and I should expect you to be perfectly okay with that? After everything?"

"Oh don't be so ridiculous, like you said it's just a sophisticated computer program – nothing more. Why should I be afraid of that?" She asserted, although it was evidently useless.

"I don't know, you tell me." Nick challenged, seemingly conflicted between exasperation and a genuine need to care.

Katherine didn't have an answer.

Eventually Nick moved to pick up his belongings when he realised he wasn't going to get a reply any time soon, giving Katherine a chance to compose herself. She couldn't face him any longer, he seemed to have the same issue because they both kept their gazes stubbornly to the floor as he passed by her to get to the door.

"I need to go but don't think this is over, I'll find you later." He finally said as he walked toward the door. She scoffed derisively out of habit, her head turning to the ceiling in frustration.

"Whatever for?" Nick stopped at the door and turned to face her again, his eyes unnervingly perceptive as she hesitantly turned her head towards him again.

"Because I know you're lying."

And with that he was gone.

Katherine stood alone in the office, closing her eyes as Nick's words washed over her. It was frankly unfair how well he knew her. She brought her hands up to her face, allowing herself to stop struggling against her own need for composure for a precious few seconds.

She'd only managed to take a couple of much-needed controlled breaths before a sudden, irrational feeling that she wasn't alone had her rushing back to the lab as quickly as possible.

* * *

The building was officially closed but as usual Katherine stayed well after dark, she sat at her desk tinkering with some circuit board or other – she wasn't really sure, she hadn't been able to concentrate for hours now.

Despite everything, Katherine still felt more at home at Calimov than she did in her own house. It might have been tainted by Mary's persistent influence, but at least it felt lived in. Remnants of the day's work – the people who existed around her on a daily basis – lingered through the night to be picked up once the new day began. It felt more like a home than her own house ever would.

When she realised she was damaging the circuit board rather than improving it Katherine downed her tools and rested her elbows on the table, her hands supporting her head in defeat. She hated what _that woman_ had done to her, what she was _still doing_. It was just one endless nightmare.

The quiet rush of air as the door opened behind her had Katherine sitting up straight immediately, pretending to continue working on the project in front of her. She didn't have to be a genius to work out who'd returned to the office at – she checked her watch – 12:24am, she hadn't realised how late it had gotten. Everyone else had left hours ago.

"I thought I'd find you here." Nick said, breaking the silence she'd been sitting in for hours. She tried to stifle a sigh at his persistence.

"What are you doing here Nick? Shouldn't you be with your family at this time of night?" Katherine didn't know if she hoped he'd noticed the bitterness in her tone or not, she resolutely avoided turning towards him regardless.

"I could ask you the same question." Damn Nick and his insufferable argumentativeness.

"You know as well as I do that I have no reason to go home, I might as well get some work done." Oh… She hadn't meant to say that out loud or sound so resigned as she did. Nick seemed to be as shocked as Katherine was at what had unintentionally slipped out because she was finally saved by a few moments of blissful silence, giving her time to prepare for the conversation she knew she had no way out of.

Katherine continued to feign ignorance of Nick's presence, working intently on the circuit board in front of her (and actually fixing it this time) as he walked around her worktable to command her attention. His hands landed carefully on the table in front of her own, his back arching down so he could pervade her vision more glaringly. Oh, she really wasn't getting out of this one.

Katherine took a second to muster the most irritated look she could before turning her head just enough for their eyes to meet.

"What?" She grated out.

"Oh don't give me that, you know exactly what." Katherine wasn't sure if Nick's experience as a father had made him even more stubborn than he used to be, but she knew he wasn't going back down. They were as stubborn as each other - they always had been - but there was something about him now that made her question why he was so adamant to get her to open up to him. What she did know though, was that she'd had enough.

Katherine stood up quickly - the sound of her chair moving back screeching throughout the room - bringing herself face to face with Nick, matching his confrontational stance.

"For God's sake, what do you expect me to say?" Katherine wasn't quite shouting but she was close to it, Nick seemed to take it as an invitation to finally say exactly what was on his mind.

"I want you to be honest with me, for once, Katherine! Why is that so difficult for you?" The spike of indignation that sent through her was the final straw.

"Why?" Katherine repeated snidely, how could he be so utterly dense? She strode purposefully to the door of the main office – what used to be _her office_ – and gestured wildly towards it when she was sure Nick had spun from his position to follow her movement.

"This is why! I've spent years making this company what it is, I dedicated everything I had to this place and it was taken away from me in a second! Do you have any idea how that felt? To be told that everything I've done, everything I've sacrificed, was meaningless!"

"Katherine…" Nick began, stunned, yet closing the distance between them once again. There was just a little too much pity in Nick's voice, there was no way Katherine could let him continue. She wasn't finished yet.

"No, Nick! I died, right there!" Katherine punctuated that statement by snapping her arm towards Nick's desk, where she'd been standing when the bomb had exploded. Nobody knew that just before the paramedics had found her, Katherine's heart had stopped – she'd specifically forbidden that aspect from being spoken of, only the highest company executives knew the full extent of the state in which she'd been found. Making sure Nick's eyes were fastened on hers, Katherine continued – picking her words carefully.

"For two minutes I laid there dead, right where you now drink your morning coffee and gleefully undo the projects I worked so hard to create."

Nick looked horrified.

"I earned that office, that position – I died for it! Then when I finally claw my way back, I was told that my oldest friend was being brought in to permanently replace me. Effectively, they told me that my death was meaningless to them. So you tell me Nick, why should I be honest with you – or anyone - about anything after that?"

Seconds passed as Nick tried to process everything Katherine had just revealed; she hadn't been so forthcoming about her innermost thoughts in years. She could tell that Nick was unsure whether to count this as a win, or wish he'd never pushed in the first placed. Eventually the former proved true; he stepped a little closer into her personal space despite the anger that was emanating from her – her breaths coming deep and fast as she made no effort to maintain control anymore.

Just as Nick prepared to answer, Katherine found his words muffled by the searing pain that coursed through her arm.

 _Oh God_ , she'd forgotten to take her last few doses of nanobots.

Katherine couldn't hold back her scream, it felt as if every nerve in her arm was burning and it only continued to spread - quickly moving through her shoulder and into her torso and further. This shouldn't be happening, she thought with a sob, the nanobots shouldn't have deteriorated so quickly.

It felt as if the explosion was searing every inch of her skin all over again.

"Katherine!" Nick shouted, alarmed at the sudden change as she felt herself double over in pain and begin her descent to the floor. He caught her before she could make it all the way – she was briefly thankful; she didn't want to know the reaction her searing nerves would have had to that impact.

Nick's hands rested as gently as they could on her back to encourage her to fall backwards rather than forwards; he moved around her swiftly, ensuring that her head landed carefully in his lap to cushion her landing.

"Katherine, what is it? What's wrong?" Nick asked desperately, the pain was so intense that Katherine was barely able to form any sound beyond the choked off sobs and cries of pain. Tears began trailing down the sides of her face, both the pain and the sudden jarring memory of the explosion brutally shocking her into submission. She barely registered anything around her other than the pain, Nick was just a blur hanging over her – his voice replaced by a constant ringing, one she knew wasn't really there.

 _Please don't let me die, not again._

The jarring juxtaposition of gentle, cool hands on the over-sensitive skin of her face was just enough to allow Katherine to register the world around her again; her eyes focused more substantially on Nick's panicked gaze as he gently stroked back some hair that had become tangled on her face.

"My desk." She managed to stutter out. "The case… My desk." He seemed to grasp her meaning but was reluctant to leave her, despite it being only a few metres away. Cautiously he began to extract himself from underneath her head but his method of shuffling back meant that – instead of limiting damage - he accidentally jerked her when he miscalculated a movement, causing her to cry out in earnest.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Nick murmured sincerely as he gently cupped either side of Katherine's head; he leaned down carefully to press a kiss to her forehead, attempting to soothe the pain whilst he moved as carefully and quickly as he could. The moment Nick was out he lowered her head back to the floor smoothly, but it was substantially less comfortable than her previous position. That combined with the lack of Nick's presence caused a wave of panic to overcome her suddenly, but she pushed it down enough that shaky yet steady breaths and quiet whimpers were all that were left.

Katherine stared intently at the generic ceiling tiles to prevent herself from moving and exacerbating the pain, but she could hear the frantic rustling and banging of Nick searching her workspace. It was taking him longer than it should to find the case and the more she waited the worse the pain got, until the point at which she felt her body starting to shut down – _how was it happening so quickly?_ The feeling in her fingers was dimming, the burns that now encompassed most of her body again had started going numb as if the nerves were failing and she could feel her brain slipping into unconsciousness.

"Nick!" Katherine begged, she'd gone through this too many times now and she still wasn't prepared. _She didn't want to die._ The sound of the draw slamming shut and Nick's quick footsteps towards her allowed a sense of relief to briefly flood her system, in an instant he was back by her side – she shifted her eyes to meet his and was greeted with a quick reassuring smile as he opened the case.

The look of confusion on Nick's face was clear but thankfully he just kept preparing the shot, Katherine knew he'd ask questions later though. He gingerly picked up her arm, rolling up her sleeve only to stop suddenly. His sharp intake of breath told her that the burns on her body were bad, he hadn't known what was happening until that point – the burns were largely covered by clothing and her face had been relatively unscathed in the original blast, so this was his first glimpse at what was causing her so much pain. He was momentarily frozen in horror, his hand gently squeezing hers where he held it up.

"Nick, please…" Katherine managed to mumble, squeezing his hand back as tightly as she could. Her eyelids were getting heavier by the second – she needed that dose now. Her quiet pleading brought Nick out of his own mind and he immediately set back to the task at hand, straightening her arm so that he could administer the dose quickly and effectively.

The moment the nanobots entered Katherine's system the rush of cold was a complete contrast to the white-hot burning of minutes previously, but it was no less unpleasant. It was over fairly quickly but the memory of the pain, and the trauma of remembering the explosion still lingered.

Katherine was so completely exhausted, her body shaking and her eyes still watering even after she felt the nanobots working to keep her alive, and then there was Nick; Nick, who had come here to confront her - get her to open up to him - and had gotten so much more than he'd expected. Nick, who said nothing yet manuevered himself so that he could gently wind his arms around her back and lift her off the floor, allowing her to sit up against his side – head resting on his chest.

Nick, the only person she could imagine leaning into as she allowed herself to truly cry for the first time in a long time.

Katherine didn't care if she looked weak or vulnerable anymore, she was just _so tired_. Nick's hand gently stroked her hair as she sobbed quietly into his chest, the other hand rubbing her back and holding her close – not too tightly, in fear that the burns that had covered her body hadn't been healed yet by the fresh nanobots. Katherine's own arms came up to wrap around Nick's waist, supporting herself more fully against him – unwilling and unable to move just yet.

If someone had walked in at that moment, the two of them would have looked like complete idiots – sprawled out on the floor, the ex-CEO crying into the new CEO's arms. The thought gave Katherine the strange urge to chuckle, imagining the poor soul's face.

Minutes passed in relative silence before Katherine felt that she had recovered enough to start explaining everything, but she wasn't entirely sure where to start.

"I'm sorry. What I said before… I know that none of this is your fault and, as much as I hate to admit it, you're a good CEO for this company." It felt slightly uncomfortable – too much and not enough at the same time – but Katherine wasn't used to apologising or admitting how she really felt, after everything that he'd just witnessed though she felt that Nick deserved some sort of acknowledgement of thanks. Including the explanation, when she finally managed to articulate the words.

"Thank you, I appreciate that I really do, but that's not what I'm concerned about right now. So I'm going to ask you again, are you okay Katherine?" She was quite literally laying on the floor of her place of work, tears drying on her face, in the arms of her boss after almost dying. _Again._ Was she okay?

"No, I don't think I am." Well at least she'd finally admitted it. She wasn't okay. She had no idea what she was going to do about it – throwing herself back into work to ignore it hadn't gone so well last time – but even she had to appreciate that at least she was being honest about it now. That seemed to be enough for Nick, because he stayed quiet after that – and if they both tightened their grasp on one another ever so slightly at that moment, well then that was nobody's business but their own.

"You don't have to explain everything now, I'm pretty sure I can work most of it out but I'm not going to force you to go into details until you're ready." Nick assured, Katherine didn't think she'd ever felt so grateful to him. She unwrapped one arm from around him in order to wipe away the wetness that lingered on her face, then began to speak.

"Thank you." It was all she felt she could manage at that point, but she hoped he realised how much she really meant it. Nick gave her an extra little while to regain her strength before thinking about moving, sitting with her as she breathed deeply and allowed the nanobots to restore what had be harmed.

"Do you think you can walk?" He asked eventually, they slowly released their hold on one another in favour of attempting to leave the discomfort of the cold, hard floor. Nick moved carefully so that Katherine could support herself as he stood, ensuring that she wouldn't just slide back down.

"I think so, would you mind-?" Instead of finishing she held out her hand to him; he got the hint and took hold, using his other hand to support her side as she stood shakily - both looking down to make sure her legs didn't give out from under her. When she was fully standing Katherine finally took her eyes off of the ground, looking up only to be greeted by Nick doing the same.

 _Oh._

They hadn't been stood that close to each other since Nick had kissed her, back when he was badly attempting to conceal Eve's identity.

Both looked away again quickly, stepping a little further apart as they did. It really wasn't the most appropriate time for anything like _that_ to happen - _not right now at least_ , part of her betrayed.

Nick cleared his throat as he parted from her fully, moving to pack up the case that had been abandoned on the floor. When he finished, Katherine was unsure of what to say; she wasn't entirely sure where to go from here – what she did know however, was that she desperately wanted to go to sleep.

"I should probably head home I suppose, let you get back too. Will must be wondering where you are by now." She suggested, it must have been at least 1:00am by now (She really didn't have the energy to check her watch) and they both still had to be in early in the morning.

"Oh no no no, you must be joking. You're coming home with me tonight; I'm not letting you out of my sight until I can be sure whatever that was won't happen again. Don't worry about Will, he knows where I am – he should be in bed by now anyway."

"Really Nick, that isn't necessary. I will be perfectly fine on my own." Katherine assured, the new nanobots would last for at least another full day so it was unlikely anything else would happen overnight.

"Well forgive me for not believing you Katherine but I'm not taking any chances, your ego isn't worth your life." The 'You are not meaningless no matter what anyone else thinks' went unsaid, but he made it clear that's what he was trying to insinuate. He obviously wasn't going to take no for an answer as he was already set to the task of helping her out of her lab coat, for once though she didn't feel the need to argue with him. Near death experiences really took it out of her apparently.

Katherine allowed herself a private smile as Nick turned to place her lab coat neatly on her workspace, she couldn't remember the last time someone had attempted to take care of her simply because they wanted to and it felt oddly… Nice. She hadn't imagined that allowing someone else control – however small the amount – would feel anything other than infuriating.

"Are you ready?" Nick asked, turning back around with a friendly smile.

"Yes, I just need to get my bag from the drawer." Katherine made to move but Nick got there first, opening the drawer swiftly and pulling out her belongings.

"I'm not completely incapable you know." She mildly chastised, crossing her arms into her usual power stance.

"Believe me, I'm well aware." Nick countered sarcastically, holding out the bag for her – pointedly ignoring the eyebrow she had raised at him as he did – and making to leave for the door with the case of nanobot doses in hand. Katherine stayed put however, expression fondly following him as he seemed oblivious to her lack of presence behind him.

 _Wait._

At what point had she become _fond_ of Nick Clarke?

Just as he reached the door, Nick seemed to realise Katherine wasn't following him and stuttered to a halt – rolling his eyes when he swung around to see that she hadn't moved. He walked back towards her purposefully, grabbing one of Katherine's hands where it rested against her own arm - pulling her lightly into moving.

"Come on Katherine; I, for one, would like to actually get some sleep tonight." She couldn't argue with that, quickly matching his pace so that they moved in tandem.

They kept a comfortable hold on one another's hands until they reached his car.

* * *

Will had heard his dad come home late that night; he went back to Calimov to straighten out some things with Katherine he'd said – though Will had no idea why Katherine would have been there so late, he didn't really want to know if he was being honest. He hadn't been awake enough to register anything other than the opening and closing of his bedroom door as his dad checked in on him though - which was why he was surprised and very, very confused when he walked into his living room at 7:00am after waking up early.

His dad was asleep upright at one end of the sofa, but that wasn't even the weird part.

The rest of the space was occupied by Katherine, seemingly content to carry on sleeping with a blanket draped over her and her head resting on his dad's lap – her heels left discarded under the coffee table. She seemed quite at home in that moment.

 _What?_

It was a few strange seconds later when Will noticed Eve, head cocked in the same confusion he felt, standing in the corner next to him. They shared a look that spoke volumes about the weirdness of the situation they'd walked into. His eyes drifted back to the sofa and _Oh God his dad's hand was resting on Katherine's head as if he'd been stroking her hair._

Will wasn't awake enough to deal with this.

He quickly moved to grab Eve's hand and lead them out of the door, intending to wait it out in his room until it was over and he could pretend he never saw anything - until he got his dad alone to talk about whatever _this_ was at least. Eve seemed to have other ideas though.

"All data suggests sleeping in such positions would be extremely uncomfortable for multiple reasons, so why do they seem so content to stay like that?" Eve asked – _loudly_ – as he rushed them up the stairs to his bedroom door.

"I'll tell you later…" Will finally replied when they were safely away, sitting on his bed and staring straight ahead as he tried to process what he'd just seen.

Will was still trying to answer that question for himself when he heard voices drifting up the stairs through the door he'd left ajar, followed by the sound of the kettle being switched on and mugs getting placed on the counter-top.

He'd go downstairs again in a minute; he was sure it'd be fine…

Half an hour later he finally gathered the courage to open his door fully, only to be greeted by the sound of Katherine laughing. _Genuinely laughing._ He'd never heard Katherine laugh before...

Another five minutes later and both Will and Eve finally began their descent down the stairs, preparing to confront whatever explanation waited for them.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a review etc. or send me a message to gush about Eve series 3!_


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